Guess What You'll be Putting On Your Face Next?

I showed up at a meet-and-greet event for Australian makeup artist Napoleon Perdis fully prepared to ask him the same five questions we ask everyone and to chit chat about his new tinted BBB cream (which by the way has snail mucus in it, but that's another story). He told me about the benefits of the snail mucus in his new cream, his plans to use donkey's milk in the future, his businessman-turned-makeup artist life story, and ... wait, donkey's milk?!

Suddenly, snail mucus seemed so ... passé. He was gushing about donkey milk's anti-aging properties and how it makes your skin glow, and all I can think is ... 'Seriously ... donkey's milk. What will they think of next?' Turns out, it's been around for quite while -- you can find donkey's milk in some European beauty products, but it hasn't taken off in America ... yet.

"Its been used for ages," said Perdis. "Cleopatra used it on her skin and it seems to have worked out pretty well for her."

Indeed. Perdis also has a personal history with this new-to-us beauty ingredient, and he plans to incorporate donkey's milk in a cleanser he'll launch in 2014. "I come from a Greek heritage and the Greeks have used donkeys' milk in health and hygiene for many, many years," said Perdis. "The lactic acid and vitamins works wonders on your skin."

Completely intrigued, I geeked out researching more about this not-so-new skin saver and found that donkey's milk contains 60 times more vitamins than cow's milk and more than twice the lactose. It moisturizes skin, but it's also said to reduce wrinkles by regenerating the skin.

I'm still not clear on how donkey's milk "regenerates" skin, but I'll save my opinion until after I have a chance to bathe in it -- which is what Cleopatra did. Also, an Ecuadorean lady who lived to be 116 swore by bathing in donkey's milk as part of her daily beauty regimen. (Excessive, maybe, but I'll do it in the name of research).